Need help looking for a job? Tired of hearing silence when you apply on-line? RightChanges Job Search Coach offers tips on how to find a job in this market and how to stand out from your competition. These tips apply whether you are unemployed, misemployed, new graduate, or re-entering the job market.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Whether you wrote your resume yourself or had help, your resume may not be helping your job search. Here are just a few areas on which to determine if your resume is an advantage or disadvantage and the logic behind it.

1) References Available Upon Request
a. If you have that phrase or something to that effect on your resume, give yourself -1 points.
b. If you do not have that on your resume give yourself +1 points.

Logic: Offering references began when we became a more mobile society. Before then everyone in town already knew us. When we moved, it was impressive to say we had people that would vouch for us. Today in most cases you will not get a job without references so this is an unnecessary phrase and ages your resume.

2) Using an AOL or Hotmail e-mail accounts
a. If your e-mail address is one of the above, give yourself -1 points.
b. If you have a professional email address (contains your name and is not “cutesy”) and it is not one of the above types, give yourself +1.

Logic: These two e-mail providers were some of the original. They now give the impression that you are old. Microsoft has a replacement for hotmail that integrates with it; it is called Outlook.com (this is not the product Outlook that is part of Office). If you have one of these e-mail addresses it is recommended that you get a new address. I recommend you get one that is independent of your service provider so in the event you change service providers you don’t lose the e-mail address.

3) Objective
a. If your resume starts with an Objective where you state what you want, give yourself -1 points.
b. If instead you start with your personal brand statement that states the value you bring for that particular position and the title of the job appears within the first 5 words, give yourself +1 points.

Logic: Back in the day, companies kept employees around for decades and wanted to know persons desires. Today companies focus on what you can do for them. Then in the 1980’s job seekers started this paragraph with superlatives such as “dynamic multiply talented….” That has become overused and it doesn’t say a thing. Your resume gets less than 12 seconds of a glance and you need to be more upfront with the title of the job, the value you bring, and how you are unique.

4) Historic Resume
a. If you developed your resume to document your past only (company, job title, dates, and job description), give yourself -3 points.
b. If you analyzed a sampling of job descriptions for the type of job you are pursuing and emphasized the experience, skills, and keywords they are looking for that you have in the past jobs, then give yourself +3 points.

Logic: Resumes when they were first used were just that, historical. Today the job market is so competitive and you have to quickly get the reader at a glance to see why they should hire you. This is painting the dots real close together so they see the picture. Don’t make them need time to figure out what you bring.

5) Date location
a. If your job dates are on the left OR snuggled up against the job, give yourself -1 point.
b. If your job dates are to the right, and if you have had a promotion, those dates are also indicated next to each title with the overall date next to the company, then give yourself +1 point.

Logic: In this country we read top to bottom, left to right, and whatever we read first has the most importance. If you put the dates first, you are saying that they are more important than your job titles, which you know they are not. If you snuggle your date next to the company or if you do not have dates on each of the positions you held for that company, you are hiding important information.

6) Bullets
a. If you are using bullets for job descriptions then give yourself -3 points.
b. If you have a small paragraph under each job that gives the scope of the work you did and use bullets for your accomplishments from most important to least important, then give yourself +3 points.

Logic: Hiring authorities are looking to see what you have done previously accomplishment wise as an indication of what you can do for them. It is the proof of what you brought to your past companies. You want the most important ones for each job listed first under each job; if they stop reading, they have read the most important ones first. Plus if you need to trim your resume, you can trim from the bottom of the list of accomplishments for each job because you already know they are the least important.

7) Error in spelling, inconsistent format, more than one phone number, etc.
a. If you have even a single misspelled word, have inconsistent formatting (especially if you are trying to convey that you are detail oriented), and / or if you have more than one phone number listed, give yourself -1 point for each occurrence.
b. If you have spell checked your resume and had someone else proof it, if you have gone over every item with a fined tooth comb to be sure of consistent font use and format, and if you only have one phone number, then give yourself +1 point for each.

Logic: The funniest resume I ever received as a hiring manager was the one who claimed to be detail oriented and had the word “detail” spelled wrong. Really? You may have spell check turned on but if your system is set to ignore capital letters, numbers, or a section of your resume is “protected” from spellcheck, you may have misspellings. Also check commonly confused words such as there, their, and they’re. For dates, determine a format and stick with it. If you use abbreviated months then abbreviate all of them (Sep. is the 3 letter abbreviation for September). If you use numbers, then use the same format (02 for February instead of 2). Also decide whether you will use a space before and after the hyphen on dates and then be consistent.

8) All marketing materials (elevator pitch, business card, LinkedIn profile, networking guide, cover letter, and resume)
a. If you do not have all of the above listed pieces of marketing material give yourself - 2 for not having a LinkedIn profile and -1 point for each of the others.
b. If you have all of the above, give yourself +2 for a LinkedIn profile and +1 point for each of the others. Give yourself an extra +2 if you use the T cover letter and always send it with your resume.

Logic: The resume is actually the least used piece of marketing materials if you are conducting the job search correctly. In fact I have listed the items in order of use.

9) Your name
a. If you have one name on your resume and a different version of your name on LinkedIn (different first name, middle initial in one place and not the other, different last name) then give yourself -1 point.
b. If all of your marketing materials have the EXACT same version of your name, give yourself +1 point.

Logic: In most cases the reader can probably figure out you are the same person but don’t make then work so hard to hire you. Consistency gives a more professional look.

Now add up your points. If you are not happy with the results, if this is the first time you have heard some of these points, or you heard them but haven’t acted upon them, that may be why your job search is not as productive as it could be.

E-mail me at Info@RightChanges.biz with the subject line Cover Letter and we’ll send you the article and template for the T cover letter as well as the networking guide.

Resume Need Help?
RightChanges wants to help as many people as possible so we are offering a Resume and More February Storm Special for $175.

Deadline: To take advantage of this special, payment must be received by February 28th . E-mail your contact information to Info@RightChanges.biz or go onto the RightChanges.biz web site and complete the Contact Us form. We’ll contact you back to get you scheduled and take payment.

This special provides 4 hours (two 1-hour sessions and one 2-hour session) with the coach to knock out your marketing materials. During the initial hour, we’ll review your current resume, assess your job search to date, and develop a list of information you need to bring in order to develop your resume. The next appointment is for two hours during which you work with the coach in developing the resume and your other marketing materials. The last hour session is to finish up the marketing materials and develop a plan to find the jobs.

Other Tips

In this competitive market, every little trick helps. RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com will give a tip for job seekers each week.
Name Badge
Use an experienced salesperson’s tip. Wear your name tag on the right so your name is in the line of sight of the people you shake hands with, making it easier for them to remember your name.

Body LanguageExcuse me - What did your body language say again? Over 80% of communication is non verbal. It is essential for you to know how to read your contact’s and interviewer’s body language so you can judge the effect of what you are saying verbally. It is also essential for you to control your own body language. The following are some brief tips.

1) Leaning forward shows interest.
2) Eye contact establishes trust with the other person.
3) Do not cross anything (arms, legs, etc.). Crossing indicates you are closed to or guarding against the person or what is being said.
4) Keep your hands within sight to show you are not hiding anything. Did you know that shaking hands started as a way to show you are not carrying a weapon?

Read more on body language and see if you may be saying one thing and your body another. The library, the web, and discount bookstores have a lot on this topic.

Do Something for Yourself

You are looking for a job so money is tight or you are budgeting more closely than ever before. This tip may seem counterintuitive but it is worth every penny. The tip: Do something for yourself that would make you proud! Whether it is to lose weight, take classes, splurge on a new interview suit or jacket, get a new hair cut or color the grey, or get new more contemporary glasses, just do it! Your self confidence level will increase. You may even meet a great networking connection that way.

This does not need to cost a lot. There are less expensive, money saving options too.

Classes: The state has programs that will cover the cost of training. Some colleges let people audit classes for free and there are links for free on-line courses. Libraries and other organizations offer seminars. During an interview, when you are asked what you have been doing since you were laid off, they will see that you have continued to develop yourself and expand your interests.

Instead of the gym: If you want to lose weight but cannot afford a gym membership, then walk the mall 1 hour non-stop several times a week. You don’t have to be an early riser either; you can find mall walkers at all hours. Check with your favorite malls. In some malls, the anchor stores close later than the other stores, so you can walk the mall without the crowds.

Eyeglasses: Several eye glass stores have "two for one" specials. Go in halves with someone on the cost.

New Interview Suit or jacket: Now is the time to shop. The stores are already marking down clothes for the new season. Watch the paper for additional discounts and coupons. Go on the web and see if the store has on-line coupons available there. You would be amazed at the savings.

You don't need to spend a lot but do something just for you that you are proud of and enjoy it!

Read Who Moved My Chesse and the Prayer of JabezCheese and Jabez: Change is hard and being on the job market is one of the most stressful changes in a person’s life. RightChanges asks every client to (re)read Who Moved My Cheese. It can be read in less than one hour and has a great message on accepting change.

Another recommended book is the Prayer of Jabez. It is based on a single verse in the Bible and reminds us that God has a storehouse of blessings for us; we just have to ask. Check these out at your local library.